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Wednesday, 22 January 2014

Photographs To Go

This is something which may hit most of us at some time soon. What to do with photographs. If you've been a buff and snapped to your heart's content over the years, you probably have hundreds if not thousands of 4 x 6 prints. You may even have 8 x 10's that you'll be tasked with, "What on God's green earth do I do with these?"

Part of my apartment renovations and clean-up includes what to do with thousands of photos taken over a decade when I published a weekly column and took the photos accompanying the text.

Just going through two years of photos has taken all day and evening. I have a pile to throw away, numerous envelopes that I tuck photos into which I will give to the people who are in them, and then there's a box of prints that are not of people but only their prized possession, in this case, a vehicle of some sort, and these, I would like to give to a girl or boy who has a passion for all things automotive.

Each distinct side of these double shelves holds sixmonth's to a year's worth of photos.

I have assiduously made sure that nothing in the photos can be traced back to the owner. A precaution, you might say. Even though these pictures were taken in 1999, some people will surely have the same vehicle and I would not want them importuned by whomever ends up with these photos.

The oddest this about going through thousands of photos is the ones of children.
Many of the shots taken were at car shows and kids are a part of this weekend ritual. There are so many fabulous shots of five-year-olds in the rumble seat of dad or grandpa's Model A or seated in the luxury of a Rolls-Royce or nestled on the parcel shelf of some sports car or other, it is a shame something cannot be done with these. The kids, now teenagers, would probably love a shot of themselves from ten years ago so, of course, the best use of these would be if the parents/family could have them. Not too easy to do and totally time-consuming looking for addresses. There are 500 articles with accompanying photos.

So far, I have saved 20 shots taken of the same child, a baby, perhaps six or eight months old, named Harley for his father's love of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. So head-over-heels with his baby was this man, he held the child throughout the photo shoot while he sat astride his bike. That child would love these photos now.

This is the out-take/garbage pile.

I have put aside some photos for those who are in thembut cannot do it for all, just for those who I knowwhere they are and can call and bring them over.

This is the box, half-full, that I would like a car aficionadoto have. Even if they simply look through it onceand enjoy the shots and then throw them away, Iwill feel that nothing's been wasted.